M-EDUCATION: MOBILE COMPUTING ENTERS THE CLASSROOM
Dr. Christopher G. Jones, Weber State University, cgjones@weber.edu
Dr. David W. Johnson, Utah Valley State College, johnsodw@uvsc.edu
S. Jeff Cold, Utah Valley State College, coldje@uvsc.edu
ABSTRACT
Experts now predict that someday the number of wireless-enabled handheld computing devices
will exceed desktop PCs. This paper explores the potential impact of this trend on education.
Several examples of current and anticipated usage in learning, instruction, and classroom
management are given. Finally, the challenges of adopting and deploying mobile education are
considered.
Keywords: mobile education, m-education, handheld computers, pedagogy, post-secondary
INTRODUCTION
In 1993, Apple Corporation introduced the Newton Messagepad, a pen-based handheld device
with general purpose computing capabilities (1). The Newton was pricey ($1150 at
introduction), the handwriting recognition less than accurate, and the desktop connectivity
complicated. But the Newton could communicate. It had a standard serial port, infrared port,
and a standard PCMCIA expansion slot that could accept a modem or a network card. An
optional keyboard was even available. As a platform for education, the Newton showed serious
promise. Later models, such as the Newton eMate were made available to schools at a reduced
price of $500. Still pricey, but approaching the realm of affordability. Apple’s Newton was a
case of “too little, too early”, especially for the educational market.
With the release of the 3Com Palm Pilot 1000 in March 1996, the potential for small form factor
mobile computing devices to revolutionize education moved from dream to affordable reality.
The Pilot 1000 personal digital assistant (PDA) had an even smaller form factor than the
Newton, easily synchronized with the desktop, and sold for a retail price of $370 (7). Memory
was limited to 128 KB. A standard serial port offered the only communication available. For a
PDA, the Palm Pilot was the first viable substitute for paper-based organizers. Palm sales
skyrocketed, breathing new life into nearly moribund handheld computer market that had overpromised and under-delivered.
Before long, the Palm product line evolved, adding memory resources, an infrared port, and
modem communication. In May 1999, 3Com Corporation introduced the Palm VII, the first
PDA with wireless access to the Internet—all at a price far lower than a desktop PC. This
convergence of wireless communication, low cost, and a small form factor marked the beginning
of a new era in mobile computing. With the advent of truly portable PDAs, users now had a
serious alternative to luggable laptops. And with the introduction of Microsoft Windows CE 3.0
in June 2000, users had a choice in Internet-enabled handheld operating systems. Some
educators began to take notice, experimenting with PDAs in the classroom in an attempt to create
computer-supported collaborative learning environments (4). Some have gone even further.
309
IACIS
M-EDUCATION: MOBILE COMPUTING ENTERS THE CLASSROOM
Elliot Soloway, for instance, is so convinced that wireless handhelds are the solution to the low
density of computers in primary and secondary education classrooms that he and his colleagues
have begun to lobby for universal access:
“K-12 will take computing technologies seriously only when they are as available
as pencils. When computing technology is literally ready-at-hand, when students
whip out handheld devices from their backpacks and desks instead of pencils and
paper, only then will education and educators move to using the technology in a
routine, day- in, day-out manner” (9, p. 20).
This raises an interesting research question: If low-cost wireless handhelds become ubiquitous
and replace laptops as the primary mobile computing platform, what is the implication for
education? This paper explores the potential of mobile education as it affects learning,
instruction, and classroom management. Examples of current and anticipated usage are given.
Finally, the challenges of adopting and deploying mobile education are considered.
THE PROMISE OF MOBILE EDUCATION
The computing revolution that has changed modern life has yet to make a significant impact on
the classroom. Unlike business, where information workers have easy access to computer
technology, today’s primary, secondary, and post-secondary students would be hard pressed to
find a computing device within easy reach. A 1999 National Center for Education (5) survey
found that 90% of U.S. K-12 classes had less than five computers per room. Seat time statistics
are even more abysmal. According to one study, K-12 students averaged less than 15 minutes
“seat time” per week per student in front of a computer (9). Low computer density coupled with
low usage would indicate that the current role for computers is peripheral to K-12 instruction,
rather than an integral part of the learning process.
The picture in post-secondary education is similar. Some colleges (Bryn Mawr, 2002) report
ratios as low as 6 students to 1 computer. Others (Wellesley College, 2002) report ratios as high
as 10 students to 1 public access computer. Some colleges report statistics on percentage of
laptop ownership. An exceptional few report that all students are required to own a computer (3,
11). Data on the number of students per computer in each classroom and the average usage per
week are not readily available. Regardless, except in courses taught in computer labs, it would
appear that universal access is not currently a reality in higher education.
Today’s handhelds are much more than connected personal organizers. These devices have
enough computing power to serve as a ready platform for mobile education (m-education) (10).
In the classroom, wireless handhelds could be used to enhance student learning or facilitate
instruction and classroom management (8). Assuming universal, mobile/wireless computer
access for each student and faculty member, we see numerous opportunities for enhanced inclass learning, facilitated instruction, and course management:
Enhanced Learning
• Anonymous Participation. Students not entirely comfortable with their understanding of
the material could submit questions to the instructor or respond to instructor questions
310
M-EDUCATION: MOBILE COMPUTING enters THE CLASSROOM
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
IACIS 2002
without others in the classroom knowing. This would provide a forum for the “dumb
questions” students are usually too apprehensive to ask.
Collaborative Review. Writing assignments or practice exercises could be peer-reviewed
using collaborative editing software.
Concept Illustration. Difficult to grasp concepts could be visually illustrated using
animations or video that could be played in full or slow motion. Students would be able
to interact with the illustration to test their understanding of the concept being presented.
Data Collection. Handhelds outfitted with the appropriate peripherals could be used for
in-class and field data collection.
Educational Games. Multi-player exercises designed to reinforce or discover concepts
may be used to leverage student interest in participative competition. Television-style
question and answer games with participant monitoring would ensure that all class
members get a chance to be involved.
Increased Levels and Timeliness of Feedback. Real-time quizzing and assessment would
provide immediate feedback during concept acquisition. Universal computing would
guarantee access to drill and practice applications that could be employed to increase the
quantity of feedback.
Individualized Content. Lecture notes or slides could be dynamically reformatted based
on the student’s preferred learning style. Content could be adapted to the student’s
ability level.
Intelligent Agents. Virtual representatives (software agents) could be authorized by
students to perform background tasks, schedule team meetings, and negotiate resources
needed for class work.
Just-in-time Learning. During a lecture or class activity, students could research
unfamiliar terms or flag content for later review.
Note Dissemination and Annotation. Using one-to- many synchronization software,
instructors could download class notes to each student. Digital notes would enable easy
student highlighting and margin comments. Rather than focusing on capturing every
word spoken by the instructor, digitally distributed notes would allow students to focus
on key concepts. Electronically distributed notes coupled with text-to-speech translation
would be especially useful to sight- impaired students.
Note Transcription. As an aid in note taking, handhelds could be used to do student
handwriting recognition or instructor voice recognition. Networked intelligent
whiteboards could be used to capture instructor board annotations and drawings. Notes
could be stored in either a voice or text format. Voice-to-text translation could provide a
complete classroom transcript for the hearing- impaired.
On-line Searches of Reference Material. With always-connected handhelds, students
could investigate reference material in class. Site tracking utilities could identify the
mostly frequently visited web pages. Instructor- guided searches would provide students
with a role model for finding and filtering information.
Simulation. Individual and collective simulation exercises become possible with
portable, connected computing devices. Highly Interactive Computing in Education, for
example, has developed “Cooties” to demonstrate disease propagation (9).
311
IACIS
M-EDUCATION: MOBILE COMPUTING ENTERS THE CLASSROOM
Facilitated Instruction and Course Management
• Appointment Scheduling. Group calendaring software would facilitate teacher-student
and student-student appointment setting.
• Assignment Distribution and Due Date Reminders. Using “push” technology, students at
River Hill High School in Maryland are provided their daily assignments and due date
reminders, direct to their handheld (6). These digital reminders minimize the need to
waste class time on answering such questions as “What’s the next assignment” or “When
is the next exam?”
• Assignment Submission. Using networked dropbox software, students could submit
assignments electronically. Instructors could provide feedback by inserting hyperlinked
comments into the student’s original document. Grading would be paperless.
• Brainstorming. Large group and small group brainstorming could be facilitated by
collaborative tools that simplify aggregation, summarization, and group evaluation of
ideas. Handhelds could be used as a shared whiteboard space for diagrammatic
brainstorming.
• Case Method. Handhelds bring the point of access for case study background material
into the classroom. Video and audio clips of key players in a case narrative could be
viewed individually by the case study groups.
• Electronic Name Cards. With automated participant recognition, the instructor handheld
could display the name of students raising their hands or called on to answer in-class
questions. Further, the instructor handheld could maintain student background
information to facilitate building rapport.
• End-of-class Formative Evaluations. Handhelds allow easy data capture of end-of-class
assessment. This information could be used as part of a continuous instructional quality
improvement program.
• E-text and E-supplementals. Handhelds provide a capable platform for e-text and
supplemental readings distribution. Advances in Digital Rights Management address
copyright issues. Books can be filtered and viewed at multiple levels from summary to
detail. Text can be fully hyperlinked within the text itself or to other works and on- line
resources. For sight- impaired, text-to-speech translation would allow handhelds to read
aloud to the student.
• In-class Polling. Both open and anonymous polling becomes possible with handheld
technology. Results can be instantly aggregated and graphed. As group decision support
software research has demonstrated, anonymity invites additional participation from class
members reluctant to participate openly. Polling could be used for pre-assessment of
material or post-assessment to determine the level of understanding.
• Roll Taking and Class Participation Monitoring. Handhelds with unique computer IDs
could be used to take attendance on a non-intrusive basis. Student participation, as well
as student time on task, could be accurately tracked.
ISSUES IN ADOPTING M-EDUCATION
With the adoption of any new technology, there are challenges to deployment. Wireless
handhelds are no different. Key issues include: (a) the limitations of the handheld environment,
(b) pedagogical integration, (c) the student/teacher behavioral impact, and (d) privacy, security,
and intellectual property rights.
312
M-EDUCATION: MOBILE COMPUTING enters THE CLASSROOM
IACIS 2002
Handheld Platform Limitations
Although handhelds are by far more robust than desktop PCs, rarely causing program crashes,
they are by no means fault tolerant. To achieve additional robustness, hardware designers have
scaled down desktop application and operating environment complexity. This guarantees that
handhelds will not be as full- featured as desktop machines, limiting their usefulness for some
pedagogical applications.
Other design trade-offs revolve around portability. The small form factor of handheld computers
limits memory capacity, screen size, processor speed, secondary storage, and usability. Stylusbased input is slow and cumbersome. Auxiliary keyboards help but now the student must carry
two devices instead of one. Battery power becomes an issue when students fail to carry spares or
recharge their batteries. Secondary storage, except for those who can afford microdrives, is
limited to the capacity of flash memory expansion cards.
Of course, applications are smaller. For the Palm platform, most applications are designed to run
in less than 8 megabytes, with16 megabytes the maximum. For the Pocket PC, the limit is
between 32 and 64 megabytes. This precludes running desktop-strength RAM-intensive
applications that require 128+ megabytes. While some popular desktop applications have been
migrated to the handheld environment, most have not. This has lead to a shortage of application
software. As second generation handhelds (2G) become available with their increased memory
and speed, and as developers target applications for the handheld market, the current shortage
should abate.
Integrating Handhelds into Instruction
As educators who teach in desktop PC labs know, integrating computers into instruction has
been a challenge. There is no reason to believe integrating handhelds will be any less difficult.
In many PC labs, educators have wrestled with maintaining student attention. Students often sit
near the back of the class so that they can read personal email, surf the web, play games, or live
chat with their friends. The handheld environment will be no different. Students may just as
easily perform the same kinds of distracting activities.
As discussed earlier, software availability is a real issue. The literature has shown there are
several classroom experiments underway in which academic software applications and software
infrastructure are being explored (4). Some of this software has moved into the commercial or
shareware market (e.g. Slide Show Commander). Much has not. Obtaining the kinds of
software that maximize the capabilities of handhelds as an instructional medium is a long term
proposition. The same is true of content formatted for the limited display capabilities of
handhelds. Many of these displays are only 2.8 to 3.8 inches with a maximum of 65,000 colors
and 240 x 320 pixel resolution. Reformatting text and video for the se hardware limitations is not
just a simple conversion process. Image clipping, image resolution reduction, and text rewriting
are required.
Finally, there is the issue of electronic cheating. Handhelds with wireless communication
capability make beaming answers to classmates all too easy. As educators have found, today’s
calculators with infrared communication often have to be banned from the classroom or testing
313
IACIS
M-EDUCATION: MOBILE COMPUTING ENTERS THE CLASSROOM
center to avoid cheating. Without adequate safeguards, handhelds could be the platform of
choice for swapping answers and plagiarizing.
Sociological Implications of Computational Democratization
What happens when computer rights are universal or when each student has the same computing
power as everyone else in the class, including the instructor? The democratization of
information has often been cited as a key reason for the downfall of the Soviet Union and for the
flattening of corporate hierarchies in the 1990s. If the advent of universal information has lead
to radical social change, what does universal computing portend? What happens when everyone
has the same intellectual tools? How does that change the classroom? These questions remain to
be answered. We can only speculate that democratization of computing may have as much
impact on modern civilization as the democratization of information has had.
Legal Issues Surrounding Handheld Use
Probably the biggest hurdle to acceptance of handhelds as a primary educational delivery
platform is the same hurdle educators have faced in moving education content to the Internet –
intellectual property rights. As paper-based copyright laws are adapted to the digital age and as
digital rights management software addresses copyright infringement, content will eventually
migrate to the handheld. In the interim, content must be self- generated. This can be time
consuming and often serves as a deterrent to adoption. However, as the accelerating growth in
distance education demonstrates, educators will eventually find a way to overcome the legal
obstacles to content distribution.
As with any tool, appropriate use is critical in insuring the well-being of those in close proximity
to the tool user. Many college campuses prohibit the viewing of pornographic web sites on
public access PCs, as this may be deemed offensive to students sitting nearby in the lab.
Wireless handhelds represent a ready opportunity to propagate obscenity, libelous remarks, and
computer viruses. Appropriate use policies and content filtering may need to be addressed
before any large scale handheld deployment.
Finally, as students move about with their handhelds, mobility will “stretch enterprise security
resources to the farthest reaches of the planet” (2). The danger of mobile intruders becomes a
real concern. Without adequate security, wireless handheld networks become an easy target for
computer viruses, stolen “connect” time, or personal identity theft.
CONCLUSION
Experts now predict that someday the number of wireless enabled handheld units will exceed
desktop PCs, making handhelds the single largest computing platform. This poses both an
opportunity and a challenge for educators. Mobile education offers the promise of ending the
digital divide that separates the technological “haves” from the technological “have nots”.
Affordable, convenient, connected hardware could democratize computing, providing universal
access for all. Computer-supported learning would take on new meaning. Academic
communities would become universally internetworked, not just at the organizational level but at
the individual level. Collaboration, instant feedback, and personalization would become the
314
M-EDUCATION: MOBILE COMPUTING enters THE CLASSROOM
IACIS 2002
norm. Information would literally be at your fingertips. Such a vision is not only possible; it is a
reality in schools and colleges experimenting with mobile education today.
Technology aside, large scale adoption of m-education is not without hurdles. Ubiquitous
computing changes the culture. Public policy and the legal environment continue to lag product
introduction. Even so, today’s wireless handhelds may have just as much impact on the
classroom of the future as universal textbooks had on the classroom of the past.
REFERENCES
1. Author. (2002, February 26). Apple Newton. Wikipedia [On- line]. Available HTTP:
http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Apple+Newton [2002, May 17].
2. Biggs, M. (2002, January 7). 2G handhelds. Infoworld, p. 35.
3. Carr, S. (2001, May 18). U. of South Dakota will give freshmen wireless hand- held
computers this fall. The Chronicle of Higher Education, p.A40.
4. Johnson, D., Jones, C., and Cold, S. (in press). (2002). Handheld computers: Ready for
prime-time in the college classroom? In the Proceedings of the 2002 Americas Conference
on Information Systems. Dallas, TX: Association for Information Systems.
5. National Center for Education Statistics. (1999). 1999 Survey of Public School Teachers
Use of Computers and the Internet [On- line]. Available HTTP:
http://nces.ed.gov/quicktables/Detail.asp?Key=461 [2002, March 12].
6. Pfeifer, S. and Robb, R. (2001, May-June). Beaming your school into the 21st century.
Principal Leadership (1:9).
7. Rhodes, N. and McKeehan, J. (1999). Palm programming: The developer’s guide.
Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly.
8. Shields, J. and Poftak, A. (2002, February 15). A report card on handheld computing.
Technology & Learning [On-line]. Available HTTP:
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2002/02/handheld.html [2002, March 14].
9. Soloway, E., Norris, C., Blumenfeld, P., Fishman, B., Krajcik, J., and Marx, R. (2001, June).
Handheld devices are ready-at- hand. Communications of the ACM (44:6), 15-20.
10. Trotter, A. (2002, January). Palm readers: Hand-held computers hint at the classroom of
tomorrow. Teacher Magazine.
11. Young, J. (1997, December 5). Invasion of the laptops: More colleges adopt mandatory
computing programs. The Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A33.
315